Nipomo man dies in Hwy. 101 rollover accident in Shell Beach

UPDATE 10 a.m.: The CHP identified the deceased driver of the flatbed truck that rolled over on Highway 101 yesterday as 26-year-old Alex James Robinson of Nipomo.

UPDATE 11 p.m: A Nipomo man, 26, was killed in the rollover accident that occurred shortly after 6 p.m. on Highway 101 in Shell Beach, a CHP spokesman said.

The man was driving southbound on Highway 101 in a 2013 GMC flatbed truck with welding equipment on the bed when, for an unknown reason, he drove onto the center divider and rolled several times just south of Spyglass Drive. The man was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the truck, the spokesman said.

Paramedics took the driver to Sierra Vista Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, the spokesman said. The CHP spokesman did not release the name of the driver.

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One southbound lane of the highway was closed for nearly three hours while debris was cleared.

UPDATE 8:40 p.m: All lanes of Highway 101 in Shell Beach were reopened at about 8:30 p.m. with all debris cleared from the roadway, a CHP dispatcher said. The dispatcher confirmed a Cal Fire report that one person was taken to the hospital with injuries.

ORIGINAL STORY: A rollover accident on southbound Highway 101 in Shell Beach shortly after 6 p.m. has shut down one lane of traffic, and one person is reportedly critically injured.

A work truck, possibly a welding truck, rolled over, and work equipment and a large tank was thrown from the back and scattered along the shoulder, according to the California Highway Patrol. Cal Fire tweeted at about 6:30 p.m. that one person was critically injured, although a CHP dispatcher could not confirm that information.

All lanes of southbound Highway 101 were initially closed, and traffic was being diverted off the freeway. One lane was reopened to traffic.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available. Please check back for the latest news.